According to history, Oktoberfest is the result of an extended wedding reception that followed the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810.

An Oktoberfest parade took place for the first time in 1810. Since 1850, this has become a yearly event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. 8,000 people—mostly from Bavaria—in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street, through the centre of Munich, to the Oktoberfest.

The annual Oktoberfest parade is led by the Münchner Kindl or Munich Child represented in a monk-like cloak carrying a radish and beer stein.

The festival is held in an area named the Theresienwiese ( meadow of Therese – named after King Ludwig’s bride ), often called Wiesn for short which is now synonymous with Oktoberfest. This area covers 4,500,000 sq ft. That’s a whole lot of party!

The exclusive group, known as the Club of Munich Brewers including Augustinerbräu -Hacker-Pschorr Bräu -Hofbräu -Löwenbräu -Paulanerbräu –Spatenbräu – each have a “tent” on the Oktoberfest grounds the size of a hockey arena. The largest can hold 12,000 people!

In 2010, Oktoberfest celebrated its 200th anniversary. There were 24 years over that period when the festival did not happen due to war or cholera or other emergencies.

Oktoberfest is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world’s largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year.

Since 1950, Oktoberfest has been declared open with a twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the Mayor of Munich with the cry “O’ zapft is!” (“It’s tapped and gives the first beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria.

The “Dirndl” is the name for the traditional dress worn by Bavarian women and commonly seen at Oktoberfest. The dirndl consists of a bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron. Originally, each village had its own style and crest, thus a huge variety can be seen at the festival.

The placement of the knot on the Dirndl apron is sometimes an indicator of the woman’s marital status. When this is so, a knot tied on the woman’s left side indicates she is single, a knot tied on the right means she is married, engaged or otherwise “taken”, and a knot tied at the back means the woman is widowed. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kosmonautica/1501198732/

The Bier Frolleins at Oktoberfest can carry up to 12 full litre steins of beer in one trip – that’s an astounding amount of beer!